Top Washington DC Pop Culture

Discover the hidden history and local legends of Georgetown with a ghost tour. Today the upscale area is bustling with tourists, but it also has a darker past. Learn about supernatural occurrences and listen to true crime stories as you stroll past Victorian row houses, churches, and alleys of the city’s oldest neighborhood.

Explore the famous monuments and memorials of Washington DC by night on this small-group (or private) sightseeing tour. Hop aboard an open-air, electric vehicle and enjoy an educational and entertaining narrated history of the nation’s capital. Travel by the wealth of famous attractions, with views of the Washington Monument, the White House, and many other landmarks lit up after dark, and don't forget to bring your camera to capture this magical time of day.

Step into one of history's most dramatic nights—tracing Lincoln's final hours through Civil War-era D.C. Unlike rushed, generic museum visits, this guided tour takes you inside Ford's Theatre and the Petersen House with reserved access, revealing hidden details and untold stories. You see the theatre booth where the President was shot, stand in the very room where Lincoln drew his last breath, and more. This 2-hour small-group tour offers an intimate look at these historic sites. Please note: Between May 28 and August 31, Ford's Theatre closes its interior to tour groups for repairs. During this summer window, we adapt the route to feature alternative historic sites that keep the narrative moving. Regardless of the season, your journey will always include the Petersen House, Baptist Alley, the Star Saloon, and the imposing exterior of Ford's Theatre.

Experience Washington DC from a different perspective on this evening coach tour. Visit multiple sites when the crowds are lower and the atmosphere is a little more relaxed. Discover the highlights of the National Mall, including the White House, the US Capitol, and Lincoln Memorial. Make stops along the way for an up-close look, and learn more from your guide's commentary. Additionally, upgrade to include admission tickets to DC museums (for later, independent sightseeing).

Step into Washington, D.C.’s darker side on this adults-only haunted pub crawl that blends chilling ghost stories with the city’s vibrant nightlife. Over two unforgettable hours, you’ll follow an expert storyteller through historic streets where presidents, political power players, and restless spirits still linger - pausing along the way to enjoy drinks at some of D.C.’s most iconic bars. This isn’t just a night out, it’s a journey through centuries of tragedy, mystery, and intrigue. From haunted landmarks just steps from the White House to eerie tales hidden behind grand facades, every stop reveals a new layer of the capital’s haunted past. Must be 21+ with a valid I.D.

Enjoy an offbeat experience—and discover a new side of the nation's capital—on an evening ghost tour of Washington DC. Follow your animated guide to the Dolley Madison House, Lafayette Square, and a range of other historical locations. At each stop, learn the spooky stories behind the city’s alleged hauntings and ghost sightings. The tour is also a great opportunity to see the nation’s capital illuminated at night.

Stone and Scandal takes you beyond the polished façades of DC's downtown buildings and into the power, secrets, and scandals that shaped Washington, DC. From historic hotels and grand buildings to the hidden moments that unfolded inside them, you’ll uncover a side of the city most tours don’t touch. Dive into the power plays, quiet deals, and headline-making moments that unfolded behind DC’s most iconic buildings. You’ll walk past iconic places, but more importantly, you’ll understand what really happened there. If you’re curious about what really happened inside these walls, this is the tour for you.

In the summer of 1881, a hopeful nation welcomed a new president - until gunfire in Washington shattered that promise. On this self-guided walking tour, you'll follow President James A. Garfield from his unexpected nomination to his tragic assassination and agonizing death. You'll also meet the delusional gunman who pulled the trigger, and the doctor whose incompetence may have sealed his fate. You'll walk the National Mall, climb Capitol Hill to the East Front, where Garfield took the oath of office. I'll guide you to the Baltimore and Potomac Train Station, now the site of the National Gallery of Art, where Charles Guiteau fired two shots that set off 80 days of national anguish. You'll follow the aftermath: the bungled medical care, Alexander Graham Bell's experimental metal detector, and the trial that gripped the country.

See a side of Washington DC that most visitors miss—and learn about the capital’s spookiest corners, presidential tragedies, and eerie legends—on this small-group walking tour. Meet your guide in front of the Supreme Court Building, and set off after dark. You’ll explore many of DC’s top landmarks, from the US Capitol to the Library of Congress, and learn about the hauntings and paranormal activity that still linger today.

Make the most of your evening in Washington D.C. by combining two after-dark activities in one. This ghost tour and pub crawl is led by a costumed guide who tells you tales of the city's past and it people, from presidents to ghosts, as they lead you through Lafayette Square. You'll stop at two to three haunted pub stops and have a drink at each (at your own expense).

On this adults-only walking tour, discover how a neighborhood once nicknamed Murder Bay transformed into the nerve center of American power. From 19th-century brothels to Cold War espionage, political cover-ups to presidential indiscretions, this is the side of D.C. that rarely makes it into textbooks. You’ll explore the streets where corruption, vice, ambition, and power collided — and learn how these hidden stories helped shape the nation’s capital as we know it today.

This experience uses a mobile app for city exploration games, offering mission-like tours in Washington, DC. In each game you follow clues and solve puzzles for discovering new places and stories around the city. Every game is a quest that teleports you inside a fictional story where you’re the main character. In "Capital Spy Pursuit," you play as Agent 23, a seasoned spy hunter tasked with thwarting a German espionage plot during WWII. The mission: track down a notorious German spy who has infiltrated Washington, D.C., and plans to sabotage the war effort. Your journey takes you through the city's historic landmarks, where you'll uncover hidden clues, solve puzzles, and ultimately confront the spy before it's too late. Time is running out—can you stop him?

Step into the dramatic side of Capitol Hill on a walking tour filled with political intrigue, scandal, and shocking moments from American history. From secret affairs and courtroom dramas to duels of honor and deadly rivalries, discover the stories Congress would rather forget. Along the way you’ll hear about spies in the Civil War, lawmakers attacked on the Senate floor, a journalist’s murder on the Capitol steps, and even a scandalous love story that shook Washington society. This tour reveals that behind the marble monuments and grand institutions of Capitol Hill lies a history packed with ambition, betrayal, and controversy. Join us to explore the scandals, secrets, and sensational stories that unfolded just steps from the U.S. Capitol.

Most Lincoln assassination tours focus on the events of April 14, 1865 and the death of President Lincoln. This experience follows the investigation that came afterward. Through a carefully structured narrative, guests follow the evidence surrounding John Surratt—the only major conspirator who escaped immediate capture following Lincoln’s assassination. The tour combines crime scene reconstruction, witness testimony, political intrigue, Confederate espionage, and an international manhunt to create an immersive historical experience. The storytelling style is inspired by investigative documentaries and true-crime narratives rather than traditional historical lectures. Guests are not asked to debate the evidence but are encouraged to think like investigators as the story unfolds.

On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre and vanished into the Washington night, launching one of the greatest manhunts in American history. Follow that story on the very streets where it happened; visit the boarding house where the conspiracy was planned, Baptist Alley where Booth's horse awaited, Ford's Theatre, and the Petersen House where Lincoln died the next morning. Led by an expert guide and inspired by Manhunt, this tour brings the events of April 1865 vividly to life with stories, hidden details, and insights most visitors miss. More than sightseeing, it's a chance to stand where history happened and experience one of America's most dramatic stories firsthand. See beyond the crowds and modern cityscape, revealing the hidden clues, overlooked locations, and human drama behind the assassination. Experience Lincoln's final hours in a way no book, museum, or documentary can match.

This walking tour reveals what happened on the night that changed the history of a nation forever. Journey back in time to learn about the three-pronged attack designed to change the course of U.S. politics and Government, and its impact on American and world history. This thrilling one-of-a-kind walking tour doesn’t just visit the main landmark locations involved in the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln but immerses you in incredible insights and revelations that will make you look upon the assignation of the 16th President of the United States in a completely different light as well as other assassinations. With your expert local Washington D.C. guide, you will journey back in time to learn about the three-pronged attack designed to change the course of U.S. politics and Government. The assassination of the 16th President of the United States is shrouded in mystery, intrigue, and conspiracy; however, this tour will reveal the truth behind the infamous night.

Lights, Camera, Washington! Your Silver Screen Adventure Begins! Welcome to Washington, D.C.—where the drama of politics meets the magic of Hollywood. More than just the nation’s capital, D.C. has played a starring role in countless films, with its iconic landmarks setting the stage for unforgettable cinematic moments. Led by our expert tour conductor, today’s journey includes: The Library of Congress – A majestic backdrop for tales of mystery and intellect. The U.S. Capitol – That iconic dome, a favorite setting for political thrillers. The White House & The People’s House Experience – Where real-life power meets on-screen intrigue. The Lincoln Memorial – A timeless symbol, seen in everything from historic speeches to Forrest Gump. Each stop is a scene-stealer, every landmark a supporting star in America’s greatest stories. This isn’t just sightseeing—it’s your moment to step into the frame. Ready for your close-up?

Downtown Washington DC is home to several areas of paranormal activity and spooky occurrences. Join this group ghost tour through the nation’s capital to hear anecdotes of fallen soldiers, political leaders, and former residents. Learn about the ghosts and ghouls that haunt the White House, Eisenhower Building, Washington Monument, and many more landmarks.

Follow your guide to the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, where you will learn about the largest library in the world, its oddest collections, and the dark stories that reside within. Hear stories about the Old Brick Capitol, the prison that once stood on the location of the Supreme Court. Learn about the architecture of the highest court in the land and its history. Hear stories of death, bloodshed, and false-imprisonment in the hallowed halls of Congress in DC's most iconic building. Continue on to the House Office Building where tales of scandalous acts of smuggling, trysts, and backdoor deals are told. Learn about the residents that called Capitol Hill home in stories of saucy escapades to corruption to cannibalism! This is a fully outdoor tour

Take a spooky stroll through Washington DC on this guided walking ghost tour. Visit one of the most haunted buildings in the world—the United States Capitol Building—as well as the Supreme Court Building and the Library of Congress. Hear the stories of feuding ghosts of past lawmakers, haunted souls surrounding the Trial of the Lincoln Assassination Conspirators, the phantoms of past presidents and the curse that surrounds everything on Capitol Hill. It’s a fascinating, spine-tingling adventure.

This guided walking tour explores Washington, DC’s cherry blossom history while visiting some of the most meaningful memorials along the Tidal Basin. We begin at the DC War Memorial, a quiet tribute to District residents who served in WWI, before reaching the shoreline of the Tidal Basin, where the story of the cherry trees comes into focus. Guides explain the 1912 gift of cherry trees from Japan, their symbolism of friendship, and how the Basin became the heart of springtime celebrations. Stops include the historic Japanese Lantern, ceremonially lit each year during the Cherry Blossom Festival, followed by the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, where themes of renewal, justice, and leadership unfold beneath blooming trees. The walk continues to the peaceful George Mason Memorial and concludes at the iconic Thomas Jefferson Memorial, framed by blossoms and reflections across the water, bringing together nature, history, and American ideals.

If you've already explored Washington D.C.'s best-known landmarks, discover another side to the capital on this after-dark tour. Learn more about the history of Washington D.C. through its hauntings and ghost stories as you visit such places as America's most haunted office building while your guide recounts colorful stories of the city's dark past.

This tour is recommended for ages 13+. Some of the most notorious crime scenes in DC are hidden in plain sight. Strolling from the Capitol to the White House, you'll see the locations of four presidential assassination attempts (and talk about some of the attempts outside of DC). Your guide will share the motives, the manhunts, and crazy coincidences that might have changed history forever.